"Quickly, darling, take these crab cakes out will ya? And make sure not to drop them, we don't need another mess on our hands," Alfred said as he glanced at one of the other servers. She had spilt celery soup all over a man's Armani suit. The guy was still in the bathroom trying to wipe it off all the while threatening to sue Bruce Wayne for damages.
"Yes, sir," Selina said as she took the tray from Alfred. She liked the old guy despite having known him for only the last couple of hours. He had a posh accent and wore a ratty old cardigan over his black suit. He seemed kind even though he was currently running the busy kitchen like it was a military operation.
Tonight the Wayne Foundation was holding a banquet to commemorate Harvey Dent day. All of Gotham's wealthy politicians and business men were here with their wives. There was no better place to be tonight. Unless of course you were a server at this heinous event, Selina thought. Selina had to snag Bruce Wayne's fingerprints quickly so here she was at Wayne Manor on its busiest day of the year. She had paid Maria MacAlister triple her wages in order to assume her place as a server at tonight's event. Selina (or Maria as Alfred knew her) was biding her time hustling crab cakes as she waited for an opportunity to sneak into Bruce Wayne's wing.
She slipped through the servers' door out into the crisp night air. She planted a smile on her face as she maneuvered through the crowd of people listening to Jim Gordon's speech. Selina didn't have to listen closely to know that he was yakking on about how great a man Harvey was and blah, blah, blah. The dribble said at these events was all the same, just a bunch of glorified ass kissing. Selina should know, she'd snuck into enough of them. Maybe she'd treat herself to a new necklace while she was here.
"Ma'am, would you like some crab cakes?" Selina said softly to a woman with her nose in the air and diamonds on her ears. The woman grabbed one and delicately nibbled on the hors d'oeuvre. Selina smiled on the outside, but inside she was rolling her eyes. These people were all the same with their greedy little fingers reaching for every morsel. It disgusted Selina to serve these people and act as though they were the Gods of Gotham especially when there were so many people that went without.
When Selina had finally pawned all the crab cakes off on the guests she made her way back to the kitchen. As she set the tray down on the counter Selina observed Alfred speaking in a hushed tone to one of the other servers. He was waving a key around and gesturing to a covered dish. The server's brow was crinkled in irritation. She was not looking forward to following Alfred's orders.
Unobserved, Selina slipped into the hallway. She paced up and down awaiting her opportunity. Surely enough, the server Alfred had been talking to soon appeared with the tray in one hand and the key in the other. Selina immediately rushed over saying, "Oh, thank God!" She took the tray and the key from the girl as she said, "The Armani suit is being a real pain in the ass. Now he wants to know if we have some Oxyclean or something and I have no idea where that is, can you handle it?" Before Selina had finished the girl was already off in search of something to make the guy shut up.
Selina quickly, but quietly made her way up the staircase to the wing where Bruce Wayne had locked himself up. She had studied the floor plans to the first incarnation of Wayne Manor and since this second one was identical she knew exactly where she was going. The Manor had only been built a few years ago. Even though it tried to look old it still had that fresh, new smell to it. Despite the fact that Bruce Wayne hadn't been seen for years people still gossiped about him. They said he had long fingernails, a hunched back, and hair down to his knees. Selina didn't care to find out the truth, she just wanted his finger prints and then to get out of there. Ok, she was a little curious about Bruce Wayne. She could probably get a nice chunk of change for a picture of him. But money wasn't her problem right now, Bane was.
Selina reached the door and slipped the key into the lock. She turned it very slowly, but she needn't have. The lock was well oiled and the key didn't make a sound. She opened the door and crept in. The whole suite was saturated in darkness but for a single lamp shining down the hall. Selina walked towards the light and looked around the room. All of the furniture was covered in sheets as though the owner had just died. And in a way Selina supposed he had. The playboy billionaire Gotham had always known was dead. Now a recluse lived here.
She set the tray down on a circular table designated for this purpose. All was silent. The air was stale. It was hard to believe anyone actually lived here. Selina peered into the room on her left. Bruce wasn't in there so she entered. The room was illuminated by the moonlight shining through the windows. Selina could see more covered furniture. She lifted a few of the sheets and looked at the expensive furniture underneath. She wondered what it would be like to lay on the creamy leather and count the billions in your bank account. If she ever met Bruce maybe she'd ask him.
Selina's eye was caught by the only piece of furniture that did not have a sheet over it. It was a small dresser with a few picture frames as adornments. Selina held the pictures up to the moonlight. One photo was of a happy couple, presumably Bruce's parents. It had been torn apart and then put back together. The other photo had a face that took Selina a minute to recognize. She had seen the face on the evening news a few times. It was Rachel Dawes smiling past the camera. Selina quickly put down the pictures. A lump had formed in her throat and she felt ashamed. She hadn't meant to intrude in Bruce Wayne's personal life. She had only wanted his fingerprints, but curiosity had overwhelmed her.
Selina bent down and opened the dresser's cupboard as she tried to forget Rachel's face. There was Bruce Wayne's safe, nestled away in plain sight. His safe was the best and most reliable place in all of Wayne Manor to get Bruce's prints. Selina extracted from her pocket a packet of powder, a small brush, and some tape. She had never had to obtain fingerprints before. She'd only ever stolen material objects and money, not someone's identity. Selina worked away brushing powder where she assumed Bruce's fingers may have touched the safe. She then used the tape to pick up the prints.
When she had accomplished her objective Selina stared at the safe. Then she looked behind her and all around. Still no sign of Wayne. She shrugged her shoulders. Now that she had gotten what Bane wanted she might as well treat herself to something. It's not like Bane was going to pay her for her efforts. Using her cryptographer Selina cracked the safe. Inside she found a pile of legal documents that were useless to her and a necklace. The necklace was big creamy pearls all strung together. They weren't really Selina's style, but she did like how they seemed to glow in the light. Satisfied with everything she slipped the necklace on and closed the safe. Bruce Wayne would never even know she had been here.
Selina turned to leave and that's when she saw him. Bruce Wayne. She wondered how long he had been standing there. He didn't look alarmed just perplexed.
She smiled at him, "Well you don't have the long fingernails or the facial scars." He looked old for his age but he wasn't nearly as decrepit as everyone made him out to be. Fine lines crinkled his face around his eyes and mouth and along his forehead. Bruce leaned heavily on a cane. His hair and his beard were unruly. If you saw him on the street he could easily pass as a homeless man. It was hard to believe someone once so young and handsome now looked like this.
"Is that what they say about me?" Bruce cocked his head to the side as he studied her. She was very attractive with her big lips and big eyes. There was something about those green eyes of hers that seemed so familiar. She quirked an eyebrow at him. Bruce realized he had been staring at her. He hadn't spoken to anyone but Alfred for a long time and it seemed he didn't know how to socialize anymore.
Bruce coughed as he approached her, trying to mask his insecurity. "That's a beautiful necklace," he said as it dawned on him what she was doing there. Selina side stepped out of his way, always maintaining a distance between them. "Funny, my mother had one just like it," he said as he bent down and opened his safe. It was empty.
Suddenly it was a standoff between the two, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Selina walked up to him, placing her arm around his neck. He wondered what game she was playing. As they stared into each other's eyes a brief memory flickered through Bruce's mind. Years ago, on a fire escape he remembered seeing those mesmerizing eyes and lips. They were no different now, but her hair was longer and there was a hint of steel in her eyes. She had held him in a similar manner then as she did now. Selina was oblivious of their connection. Bruce saw her lips moving and forced himself to focus.
"Well, Mr. Wayne, we both know you wouldn't beat up a woman, any more than I would beat up a cripple," Selina said as she kicked his cane out from under him and shoved him down to the ground. She really did feel sorry about that. A little. "But exceptions have to be made." He stared at her, helpless, as she walked over to the window. He couldn't believe this was happening to him, a woman, a maid, stealing from him right before his eyes. Who the hell did she think she was?
Selina looked back at him, "Oh, how the mighty have fallen," She blew him a kiss and leapt out the window.
Bruce was still lying on the floor staring at the ceiling when Alfred found him. "Bloody hell, sir, what happened?" Alfred said as he helped him up. Bruce used to be the Batman and now look at him. But Selina had ignited something in him, a fire that he thought had been extinguished long ago.
Sorry that this chapter follows the movie so closely, but I couldn't think of any other way to do it. I promise the other chapters won't be the same. Some of the lines are taken directly from the movie and of course I do not own any of the characters, they belong to DC. I might play with the point of view a bit more in the next couple of chapters. Something from Bruce's POV and Gordon's and maybe even Bane's later on. Thanks as always for following and reviewing. Sweet-taboos' review was particularly wonderful.